North Carolina and Duke renew their rivalry with the first matchup of the season in a role reversal from a year ago, when each side won once as a visiting team.

Duke is the favorite this time, not that it should matter that much when it comes to these schools embracing the moment.

But after another round of realignments announced since the last meeting, the teams seem to covet this college basketball connection even more.

“I think it kind of puts an exclamation point on (it),” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Remember while we’re doing all this stuff, let’s remember these things.”

At the present, it has been a more memorable stretch for Duke than the Tar Heels, who appeared recharged until hitting the skids with a weekend loss at first-place Miami.

So the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference isn’t at stake, but this is the most hyped-up series in college basketball.

“Most of the other years, both of us have been pretty doggone good and it’s who plays the best that night, regardless of where you are,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

Duke, coming off an up-and-back same-day visit to Boston College for a one-point victory Sunday, is two games off the pace in the league standings. It took the Blue Devils a day earlier this week to get back in their routine after a disruptive weekend travel schedule.

But Krzyzewski said he was pleased with the outcome against Boston College, figuring it could have been the ultimate trap game considering last week’s rematch against North Carolina State followed by games this week against North Carolina and then Saturday at Maryland.

Knowing the build up and anticipation for the Duke / North Carolina game can wipe away just about any recent shortcomings might be a good thing.

“Look, if we are both judged by our last performance against Miami, the game wouldn’t be on TV,” Krzyzewski said. “But that’s not the way it is.”

Indeed, last year’s meetings included Duke’s comeback capped by Austin Rivers’ winning 3-pointer in Chapel Hill followed a few weeks later by the Tar Heels putting the final stamp on a regular-season championship in Durham.

This time, the specifics take on a different tone.

“Mason (Plumlee) and Seth (Curry) are playing at a high, high level and carrying them at times,” Williams said of a pair of Duke seniors. “From 10 miles away, they look really formidable, have a lot of guys who can score. You can’t really concentrate on one thing.”

Krzyzewski was ready this week to praise the Tar Heels, pointing out good deeds by forward James Michael McAdoo and guard Reggie Bullock in particular.

Page 2 of 2 - “They are one of the best offensive rebounding teams and transition teams in the country,” Krzyzewski said. “... We have been good, obviously, or we wouldn’t have the record we have. But we are not that good. The two areas that are a little bit weak (for us) are defensive rebounding and transition, and those are their two strengths.”

North Carolina has stumbled to blowout losses against Top 10 opponents Indiana and Miami on the road and that trend hasn’t gone unnoticed. Not to mention that an unranked North Carolina team hasn’t won at Duke since March 4, 1990.

“We’ve got to be able to withstand some adversity in a hostile environment,” Williams said. “If the other team gets rolling and rocking, we have not bounced back in being able to handle that very well yet. I’m saying ‘yet’ because I think we’re going to get there.”